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The Serpent's Egg
The members of Queen Andred's court attempt to convince her that the Duke of Tilbury is treacherously plotting to take her kingdom from her, but the Duke has two factors in his favor--the Queen's trust, and the sorcery of a serpent's egg
200 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1988
49 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Stevermer
25 books287 followers(from website)
Caroline Stevermer grew up miles from anywhere on a dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota. She has a sister and two brothers. After high school, she attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. degree in the history of art. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she was eight years old. She began by writing stories in her school notebooks. (They were not good. Many were not even finished. She persisted.)
By the time she graduated from college, she knew she would need to earn money in other ways, but she kept on writing. Her first professional sale was published by Ace in 1980. In the years since, she has had a variety of jobs and kept on writing. She likes libraries and museums. Her favorite painter is Nicholas Hilliard. Her favorite writer is Mark Twain. She lives in Minnesota.
Caroline Stevermer grew up miles from anywhere on a dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota. She has a sister and two brothers. After high school, she attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. degree in the history of art. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she was eight years old. She began by writing stories in her school notebooks. (They were not good. Many were not even finished. She persisted.)
By the time she graduated from college, she knew she would need to earn money in other ways, but she kept on writing. Her first professional sale was published by Ace in 1980. In the years since, she has had a variety of jobs and kept on writing. She likes libraries and museums. Her favorite painter is Nicholas Hilliard. Her favorite writer is Mark Twain. She lives in Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 8, 2025
“I’ve waited all my life to make a scandal, now I can rest easy.”
Good, clean fun. Old-school epic fantasy set in late medieval Europe analog with complex characterizations and plotting. Stevermer builds world and plot on the fly, as needed. Leavened with humor, magic, and chivalry—the good kind.
To see was of no use until she understood, but she would never understand until she tried to see.
Large cast of well-drawn characters on both sides. Complexity of characterizations beyond core cast adds credibility. Stevermer respects the reader’s intelligence with occasional gaps which the reader must navigate. Nice cover art. Excellent.
“In short, I am a wreck—physically, morally, intellectually—” “Do shut up.” “Everyone tells me that eventually.”
Good, clean fun. Old-school epic fantasy set in late medieval Europe analog with complex characterizations and plotting. Stevermer builds world and plot on the fly, as needed. Leavened with humor, magic, and chivalry—the good kind.
To see was of no use until she understood, but she would never understand until she tried to see.
Large cast of well-drawn characters on both sides. Complexity of characterizations beyond core cast adds credibility. Stevermer respects the reader’s intelligence with occasional gaps which the reader must navigate. Nice cover art. Excellent.
“In short, I am a wreck—physically, morally, intellectually—” “Do shut up.” “Everyone tells me that eventually.”
February 15, 2023
This one left me vaguely disappointed, and the reason is, I think, that the characters lack competence, with the exception of one or two minor characters who are almost completely undeveloped. (Not that any of the characters are developed all that much.)
I like to see not only protagonists, but also antagonists, being competent, and here neither of them are. The protagonists succeed in part through good luck and in part because the supposedly formidable antagonist makes several stupid mistakes and is seldom able to execute any of his plans successfully.
There's what is, I think, supposed to be a romance subplot, but it's so stripped back that it barely exists; the two characters don't meet through most of the book, their written communications are pragmatic and plot-related, and at the end, when they do get together in the same place, it's very adversarial and not at all romantic.
On top of this, the version I read was from Open Road (which I didn't check when I bought it), and is at their usual low level of professionalism and polish. By which I mean that, after the OCR scan, they clearly didn't bother even to run spellcheck, let alone paste it into Google Docs and spend half an hour locating the places where the scan had got the sentence punctuation wrong. I'm going to start avoiding their books; they're almost without exception as poorly edited as this, and there's no excuse for putting in so little effort to improve the reader's experience.
This was a book that had some strengths - the low-magic quasi-Elizabethan setting, the noblebright characters conspiring to protect the queen - but with nobody (including, notably, the publisher) being competent, it ended up falling short of its potential. Given that the other book I've read by this author ( The Glass Magician ) was also disappointing for reasons that aren't completely dissimilar, I don't think I'll pick up any more of her books in future.
I like to see not only protagonists, but also antagonists, being competent, and here neither of them are. The protagonists succeed in part through good luck and in part because the supposedly formidable antagonist makes several stupid mistakes and is seldom able to execute any of his plans successfully.
There's what is, I think, supposed to be a romance subplot, but it's so stripped back that it barely exists; the two characters don't meet through most of the book, their written communications are pragmatic and plot-related, and at the end, when they do get together in the same place, it's very adversarial and not at all romantic.
On top of this, the version I read was from Open Road (which I didn't check when I bought it), and is at their usual low level of professionalism and polish. By which I mean that, after the OCR scan, they clearly didn't bother even to run spellcheck, let alone paste it into Google Docs and spend half an hour locating the places where the scan had got the sentence punctuation wrong. I'm going to start avoiding their books; they're almost without exception as poorly edited as this, and there's no excuse for putting in so little effort to improve the reader's experience.
This was a book that had some strengths - the low-magic quasi-Elizabethan setting, the noblebright characters conspiring to protect the queen - but with nobody (including, notably, the publisher) being competent, it ended up falling short of its potential. Given that the other book I've read by this author ( The Glass Magician ) was also disappointing for reasons that aren't completely dissimilar, I don't think I'll pick up any more of her books in future.
October 31, 2011
you know one of the loveliest experiences for a book lover is when they discover that an author that they love has a work that they haven't read yet. i don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner to see if caroline had any books that were out of print, but she does, and i found one for sale as a used book and i just finished it.
i lovedlovedloved one of the main characters in this book--lady margaret yewesley. she is calm and practical and not really beautiful. early on, one of the other characters wonders whether she was really beautiful enough to be marrying the person she is marrying. just a wonderful character. i was ready to marry her, myself, by the end.
i liked so many things about this book. the way that the villain keeps on undercutting the work of the conspirators so that their next step isn't going to work before they even take it. the way the plot doesn't hinge entirely on the serpent's egg--it's important but if it wasn't there, things would still be happening. the conspirators. the sense that you don't know who will actually make it to the end of the book. the fact that i really have not already read this book, only in a different form.
i don't want to say too much because people should experience it for themselves, but briefly it involves a duke who is plotting to overthrow a queen and the people who are working to prevent that. a really good read--track it down!
i lovedlovedloved one of the main characters in this book--lady margaret yewesley. she is calm and practical and not really beautiful. early on, one of the other characters wonders whether she was really beautiful enough to be marrying the person she is marrying. just a wonderful character. i was ready to marry her, myself, by the end.
i liked so many things about this book. the way that the villain keeps on undercutting the work of the conspirators so that their next step isn't going to work before they even take it. the way the plot doesn't hinge entirely on the serpent's egg--it's important but if it wasn't there, things would still be happening. the conspirators. the sense that you don't know who will actually make it to the end of the book. the fact that i really have not already read this book, only in a different form.
i don't want to say too much because people should experience it for themselves, but briefly it involves a duke who is plotting to overthrow a queen and the people who are working to prevent that. a really good read--track it down!
August 28, 2022
Every now and then, a book from the past pops up in reprint and you suddenly realize that you haven't read absolutely everything by a favorite author. With many nods to Shakespeare and Elizabethean manners, this high fantasy brings together a fascinating troupe of characters to prevent the murder of a queen. Full of swashbuckling and just a little sorcery, it had room to expand to a series...but works just fine as a stand-alone novel.
June 22, 2011
Was there a late 1980s-early 1990s thing for vaguely Elizabethan fantasy? (or has that never died) It doesn't really come together; it's like this is half of a far more interesting, magical novel
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March 12, 2023I’ve enjoyed the Sorcery and Cecelia books (which I discovered through an enjoyment of Patricia C. Wrede’s writing), so I was curious when I came across The Serpent’s Egg.
I note that the book was originally published some 35 years ago. This reissue could have done with better proofreading. The errors weren’t enough to make me put the book down, but there were enough to be irritating.
I’d probably categorise the genre as court intrigue, but it was very clear who the good guys were and who were the moustache-twirling villains. The author dipped into everyone’s heads in quick succession, which left little opportunity for the reader to speculate or wonder. The only thing frequently I wondered about was why the band of goodies were so unwaveringly loyal to their queen. (I get that they would express loyalty of course, but sitting in their heads I had no sense that they were feeling poorly used for example). A bit too many coincidences, fires and head injuries for my tastes.
I don’t remember any magical elements other than the titular serpent’s egg, which I suppose raises a mystery over who else in the world (other than the villains) knew about magic and its uses.
Overall, a straightforward (maybe too straightforward) court intrigue with minor fantasy elements.
I note that the book was originally published some 35 years ago. This reissue could have done with better proofreading. The errors weren’t enough to make me put the book down, but there were enough to be irritating.
I’d probably categorise the genre as court intrigue, but it was very clear who the good guys were and who were the moustache-twirling villains. The author dipped into everyone’s heads in quick succession, which left little opportunity for the reader to speculate or wonder. The only thing frequently I wondered about was why the band of goodies were so unwaveringly loyal to their queen. (I get that they would express loyalty of course, but sitting in their heads I had no sense that they were feeling poorly used for example). A bit too many coincidences, fires and head injuries for my tastes.
I don’t remember any magical elements other than the titular serpent’s egg, which I suppose raises a mystery over who else in the world (other than the villains) knew about magic and its uses.
Overall, a straightforward (maybe too straightforward) court intrigue with minor fantasy elements.
April 18, 2025
More of Caroline Stevermer’s backlist. I enjoyed When The King Comes Home, but I found Serpent’s Egg less compelling. It’s got an Elizabethan court intrigue sort of setup: The queen’s cousin plots to take the throne through murder and a sinister orb. Meanwhile, the queen’s son, the fiancee of her most loyal knight, a musician, and other assorted characters plot to stop him.
One of the reasons this book didn’t click for me was the many rotating POVs. It’s hard to get invested in any one character when the author keeps flipping you to a different one. But more fundamentally, the entire Elizabethan court intrigue setting never appeals to me. Here, the queen is disinterested and even hostile to the throne-saving conspirators, even though she’s the supposed beneficiary of the whole scheme. We are, apparently, supposed to back the queen over the duke purely for the sake of political stability, not for any superior personal values. Which is to say, probably but historically accurate but a little cold.
Interesting, but I was never especially invested.
One of the reasons this book didn’t click for me was the many rotating POVs. It’s hard to get invested in any one character when the author keeps flipping you to a different one. But more fundamentally, the entire Elizabethan court intrigue setting never appeals to me. Here, the queen is disinterested and even hostile to the throne-saving conspirators, even though she’s the supposed beneficiary of the whole scheme. We are, apparently, supposed to back the queen over the duke purely for the sake of political stability, not for any superior personal values. Which is to say, probably but historically accurate but a little cold.
Interesting, but I was never especially invested.
March 13, 2023
Feel like I got suckered in by the description and the quote from Charles de Lint. This is barely fantasy with the majority of the pages dedicated to the court intrigue and maybe 10% dealing with the serpent's egg, the predictably mind rape-y sorcerer trying to figure out how to use it and the royal librarian opposing him. If fantasy is the primary point of appeal, you are better off looking elsewhere as this is just the Elizabethan England with the serial numbers filed off and the barest sprinkling of fairy dust. There is not even a proper John Dee type.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2023
I got this book to read while recovering from major surgery. For that, it was perfect: predictable, pleasant, and didn't take much effort to read. Even so, it was frustrating to have so much print expended on the Carrington/Margaret plot and so little on the Chrysafer/Sourient/Serpent's Egg part. I could have told you from the beginning where the Carrington/Margaret thing was going, so it wasn't all that interesting. The Serpent's Egg itself and the battle between Chrysafer and Sourient should have been the central focus of the book, especially if there wasn't going to be a sequel. I had so many questions that were left unanswered: what was the Serpent's Egg, where did it come from, how and why did it do what it did, who were the women in Chrysafer's vision, who was Sourient, how did he come into possession of the egg, how and why did he get involved with Tilbury and so many more. Very, very frustrating.
December 18, 2024
Ahoy there mateys! I enjoy this author’s other work but this one was so weird and not in a good way. The main plot is that the Duke of Tilbury is planning to steal the kingdom but the queen trusts him and he has a magic egg. The Duke is so very smart and evil and is ahead of the game at every point except the end where he makes stupid, stupid mistakes so the good guys can win. The ending and romance are nonsensical. The characters are flat. There is not a lot of magic for it being a fantasy. Don’t read this unless you are a completionist about the author’s work. I am sorry I spent money on this. Arrrr!
February 23, 2023
3 stars.
A solid fantasy of a vaguely Elizabethan flavor. Somehow this managed to not be really quite at all what the description led me to expect and yet still quite good. There's much to be said for a lot of the characters and the interesting intrigue, though oddly I am almost not certain I felt the titular egg was really necessary to the meat of a story that in the end really felt a bit more like court intrigue than fantasy.
Overall though I enjoyed the characters and the story. Not my first book by Stevermer and almost certainly not my last.
A solid fantasy of a vaguely Elizabethan flavor. Somehow this managed to not be really quite at all what the description led me to expect and yet still quite good. There's much to be said for a lot of the characters and the interesting intrigue, though oddly I am almost not certain I felt the titular egg was really necessary to the meat of a story that in the end really felt a bit more like court intrigue than fantasy.
Overall though I enjoyed the characters and the story. Not my first book by Stevermer and almost certainly not my last.
January 18, 2020
I liked this book, except for the ending—the last 20 pages in my mind completely did not work—it was if they belonged to a book written in a completely different style. It was very swashbuckling fantasy, full of plots and fights and gallantry and just a touch of magic. But the last 20 pages really jarred—and did not fit. I like this author—I’ve read 3 of her books.
2020 note: Still really enjoy this author, whose newest book, The Glass Magician, is coming out shortly.
2020 note: Still really enjoy this author, whose newest book, The Glass Magician, is coming out shortly.
November 10, 2022
A quite enjoyable tale, think shakespeare with some magic - or perhaps just shakespeare, but much more easily readable. With villainous villains, dashing good guys, and well done supporting characters.
February 21, 2023
Exceptional
Mesmerizing it is crafted epicly. The characters became real to me along with their joy, sorrow and love. The villains are easy to hate. The Serpent's Egg by Caroline Stevermer is an epic tale I savored.
Mesmerizing it is crafted epicly. The characters became real to me along with their joy, sorrow and love. The villains are easy to hate. The Serpent's Egg by Caroline Stevermer is an epic tale I savored.
March 21, 2022
I got it at a thrift store. If it wasn't written in painfully old-school english it would have been a lot better. Fun characters though
October 21, 2023
She is my new Dianna Wynne Jones (but no fatphobia)fat phobia, and I want to read everything.
February 4, 2024
Reread after long hiatus. The long reading period was because I put it on hold for library books. I enjoyed the reread, but the book still leaves so many questions unanswered.
August 5, 2014
This was a great book- I really like Caroline Stevermer. Only a few minor points bugged me. One, that the Chrisofar thing was left so open-ended. I really would have liked it better explained what happened, though there were hints so one could draw a pretty fair conclusion. Two, I would have loved it to be longer because I would have loved to get to know all of the characters better, particularly (of course) Margaret and Christopher, and enjoy the humor of others more- such as Raven and Diana. Three, I thought the end with Christopher was a little strange, and not in character for him. Anyone else think that? I know he thought he had been un-chivalric or whatever, but I don't think it would have bugged him to that extent. Anyway, still good ending (quite enjoyed the out-of-the-blue hair yanking).
March 12, 2023
Two and a half stars
This is a short book and it started out interesting enough, so it actually took me until past the halfway point of the book to truly realize none of the motivations of the characters or the characterization itself was giving me anything to care about. I considered abandonment, but by then I only had maybe 75 pages to go and I was vaguely curious if it would pay off. It wraps things up but I didn't end up caring.
This is a short book and it started out interesting enough, so it actually took me until past the halfway point of the book to truly realize none of the motivations of the characters or the characterization itself was giving me anything to care about. I considered abandonment, but by then I only had maybe 75 pages to go and I was vaguely curious if it would pay off. It wraps things up but I didn't end up caring.
January 2, 2010
caroline stevermer is SO. GOOD. at what she does! i love her. i only wish this novel were longer, as she introduces so many interesting characters but then doesn't do much with them in the end. but any book that features cross-dressing men (even briefly) will win my heart any day.
p.s. i found this book used for $1.55 at mckay's. ラッキー!!
p.s. i found this book used for $1.55 at mckay's. ラッキー!!
August 29, 2012
If you are a fan of books like The Prisoner of Zenda, you should give this book a read. Of course, it is smarter than Prisoner, and has magic in it.
September 3, 2016
2016 reread.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews